Meet the Kings of Indy on Tuesday evening

Robert and Tammy King discuss their day at their new local hangout on the Near Eastside, the Tin Comet Coffee, Monday October 14, 2013. Visitors to the coffee house can pick a mug off the wall and play some vinyl records. Kelly Wilkinson / The Star(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson, Kelly Wilkinson / The Star)

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Meet the Kings of Indy 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, June 3, at the Tin Comet Coffee.

During the meet and greet, get a free cup of coffee when you show the Tin Comet staff you've downloaded the IndyStar app on your smartphone.

Most people who live in the city have a third place — one apart from home or the office — where you go regularly to visit with friends, catch up on gossip and just relax. For me and my wife, Tammy, our third place is the Tin Comet, a little coffee shop on East 10th Street that opened in October.

This is a good thing because, apart from feeding my caffeine addiction, the Tin Comet serves another key purpose — it is a community hub. Friends meet here, community leaders do business here, poets recite verse here, storytellers spin yarns here.

Like the fictional bar in "Cheers," there are characters who seem like fixtures attached to a chair in a corner or a nook in the back. During the long, cold months of winter — when people in this walkabout neighborhood were largely hibernating — the one place I could still count on seeing my peeps was the Tin Comet.

So, into this cozy little corner of my world, I'm inviting you to come for a visit.

On Tuesday night, the family and I will be hanging out at the Tin Comet from 6 to 8 p.m. and we'd love for you to join us. Show the folks at the door that you've got the IndyStar app on your phone and your first cup of Joe is on us — or at least someone from The Star with a budget for such things.

We got this idea from several of you who have mentioned that you're interested in the Near Eastside. Or making a move from the suburbs to the city. We'd love to talk with you. Some of you have just contacted me or made Facebook posts about your experiences in the city, and in particular the Near Eastside. In a few cases, we've said we should get together. Well here's our chance. And many of you have just been kind enough to express thanks for my epistles from St. Clair Place, or to offer encouragement about our move. Consider this a thank you.

The Tin Comet is not a large place, so we might get to know each other quite well. And we may have to get creative with parking. But the Yirgacheffe alone is worth the trip. So is the local art on the walls. And the vinyl records on the turntable (I'm listening to Townes Van Zandt as I write this). And the owners, Matt and Autumn, who are two of my teachers on what it means to live in a community.

Beyond my family, I've already heard that other Near Eastsiders, including some transplants like us, will be on hand. If you want to know more about this curious place we now call home, this is your chance.

So come see us at the Tin Comet, 2119 E. 10th St. Take a look through the 1952 city directory that sits like a family Bible on a bookshelf. Pick a mug off the wall (I'm opting for one on which Dilbert is extolling the charms of corporate America) and join us for an evening with the neighbors.

We look forward to seeing you.

Call Robert King at (317) 444-6089. Follow him on Twitter at @Rbtking.

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Tammy, from left back row, Robert, Annie, Sarah, and Caroline King, front row, pose for a photo at their front gate, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. The Kings of Indy have been Eastsiders for a year. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Caroline, from left, Annie, and Sarah King show their chickens, Lacy Chirp (nicknamed Roadrunner), Henrietta, and Fawkes, respectively, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. The Kings of Indy have been Eastsiders for a year. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Tammy King, left, holding Dottie, and her daughter Caroline King, holding Lacy Chirp (nicknamed Roadrunner), look at their chickens in their back yard, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. The Kings of Indy have been Eastsiders for a year. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Caroline King, center, and her class applaud themselves with instructor Brianna VanValin, left, at the end of ballet class at the Brookside Dance Academy, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Brookside Dance Academy is a micro business as part of the Urban Box, and it is an incubator space run by the East 10th Street Civic Association in the 10 East Biz District. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star